Trump Action Archive

Supporting reports

• Trump declined to attend NYC 9/11 service over speech restrictions — Trump chose not to attend the primary 9/11 memorial service in New York City because organizers do not permit politicians to deliver speeches at the event. His absence from the main NYC commemoration was a deliberate choice based on his inability to give a political address.

Supporting reports

• Trump fell asleep during Pentagon 9/11 service — Trump attended a 9/11 memorial service at the Pentagon on September 11, 2026, where he fell asleep during the proceedings. He did not attend the main NYC 9/11 service because organizers do not permit politicians to deliver speeches. After the Pentagon event, Trump delivered a political speech before traveling to Ireland to watch a golf tournament at one of his golf courses.

Supporting reports

• Trump insulted Democratic state representative James Talarico — During a backstage Fox News interview, Trump called Democratic state representative James Talarico "a freaky guy" and said he has "no respect for Jesus, no respect for religion," despite Talarico being a religious figure who has spoken about Christian values.

Supporting reports

• Trump insulted Ken Paxton's appearance at RNC convention — During his speech on the final night of the RNC convention in Dallas, Trump repeatedly insulted his Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton's appearance and manner of speaking. Trump said he did not like "the way Ken talks" or "the way he looks," but stated he did not care as long as Paxton won and voted the way Trump wanted.

Supporting reports

• Nate Hochman, fired for Nazi symbol retweet, hired as State Department deputy director — Nate Hochman, a former Ron DeSantis presidential campaign staffer fired in 2023 after retweeting a video featuring a Nazi sonnenrad symbol, was hired earlier this year as deputy director of the State Department's policy planning office under Secretary Marco Rubio. He also serves as Rubio's chief speechwriter. His hiring represents the placement of a person with documented extremist associations into a senior diplomatic position.

Supporting reports

• Trump asked supporters to pledge allegiance to him instead of the nation — At the conclusion of his RNC convention speech, Trump asked the crowd to raise their right hands and recite a pledge of allegiance to him personally rather than to the United States. The pledge stated: "I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the US that loves us so much he can't even breathe, that I will go out with my family, my friends, I'll do it any way - I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try to cheat like hell just like they do."
• Trump told supporters voting is a religious obligation — During his RNC convention speech, Trump told the crowd: "You know what happens if you don't vote? You go to hell." He framed voting as a religious duty with eternal consequences.

Supporting reports

• Trump and Hegseth use 9/11 memorial ceremony to defend unpopular Iran war — At a Pentagon ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of 9/11, President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used memorial remarks to defend the US-Israel war on Iran launched six months prior. Trump linked the Iran conflict to the 9/11 legacy, stating "That's why we fight today." Hegseth delivered a bellicose speech claiming Iran's defenses "are gone" despite contrary evidence, and warned of threats from "Islamic terrorists abroad and at home." The remarks repurposed a solemn commemoration of 2,606 victims to justify an unpopular military campaign.

Supporting reports

• White House posts bald eagle attacking Canada goose image amid trade tensions — The White House posted a photograph on social media in late August 2026 showing a bald eagle standing atop a dead Canada goose, apparently as a symbolic message during failed trade talks and rising US-Canada tensions. The image, viewed millions of times, was used to convey that the United States could not be challenged by Canada. The post occurred amid broader trade disputes between the two nations.

Supporting reports

• Trump delivers lengthy speech at Republican midterm convention in Dallas — President Trump spoke for 1 hour 44 minutes at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 10, 2026, making numerous false claims including that he won three presidential elections, that Democrats are "admitting" he won, and that he had equal crowds outside the arena. He promised $5,000 to every adult US citizen if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress, proposed renaming geographic features (Gulf of America, Lake America, New Mexico to New America, Strait of Hormuz to Trump Strait), and made disparaging remarks about Democratic candidates and Iran.
• White House correspondent fact-checks Trump's convention attendance claims — Nandita Bose, White House correspondent for Reuters, fact-checked Trump's claims about the convention arena being full. She reported that the upper decks were empty, large stretches of side sections remained sparsely filled, and even with Trump onstage the arena was clearly not at capacity, contradicting Trump's repeated statements about the crowd size.

Supporting reports

• Trump campaign promises $5,000 dividend checks to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans win midterm elections — At a Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9, Trump promised to distribute $5,000 checks to every adult U.S. citizen if Republicans win control of Congress, calling it the "Trump Dividend." The payout would cost approximately $1.2–1.3 trillion and would require congressional approval. Trump did not explain funding mechanisms. Multiple Republican lawmakers and observers noted the promise contradicts constitutional authority and echoes unfulfilled prior pledges (DOGE dividend, tariff rebates, stimulus checks).
• Trump suggests renaming geographic features after himself at convention speech — During the Dallas convention speech on September 9, Trump proposed renaming the Hormuz Strait the "Trump Strait," Lake Michigan "Lake America," and New Mexico "New America." He stated "I should get something out of it" regarding the strait naming and joked about personal financial benefit from geographic rebranding.
• VP Vance interviewed on Fox about $5,000 dividend promise — Fox host Bret Baier interviewed VP JD Vance after Trump's convention speech on September 9. When asked how a $1.3 trillion dividend payout would be funded without bankrupting the country, Vance claimed tariffs had generated substantial revenue and that the president was offering to share wealth created by his policies. A Community Note fact-check on X noted that annual tariff revenue (under $300 billion) cannot fund a $1.3 trillion payout and that previous cash dividend promises were never delivered.
• Trump claimed Iran war will end after midterm elections — Trump told reporters that Iran is prolonging the war to influence U.S. midterm elections and that he expects the conflict to end and gas prices to decline once the elections conclude. He stated, "They can't hold out any longer" and characterized Iran as "desperate to try and affect the election." However, Wall Street Journal reporting revealed that Trump's top advisors, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have warned him the Iran war could continue through the remainder of his term. Hegseth has already extended troop deployments in the Middle East and planned additional extensions.
• Trump promised $5,000 checks to all adults if Republicans win midterms — At the "Trumpapaloosa" midterm convention in Dallas, Trump promised that if Republicans win the midterm elections, his administration will distribute $5,000 checks to all adult Americans. Trump branded the proposal the "Trump Dividend" and attributed it to "our tremendous strength and success economically." The plan would cost more than a trillion dollars and would require congressional approval, which Trump did not acknowledge.
• Trump pledges $5,000 payment to voters if Republicans win midterms — At the Republican National Convention in Dallas on September 10, President Trump promised a $5,000 check to every U.S. adult citizen if Republicans win the midterm elections. The pledge is widely understood within Trump's own circle as non-credible; no similar payments have been distributed during his second term despite prior promises. The announcement occurred during a lengthy speech that included incoherent remarks and calls for audience loyalty pledges.
• Trump Dividend: America Is Winning — and Americans Should Win With It — The White House published this release on 2026-09-10 through its releases channel.
• FDA announces priority review voucher fee rate for fiscal year 2027 — The Food and Drug Administration published a notice establishing the fiscal year 2027 fee rate for using priority review vouchers at $1,798,596. This fee applies to applications for tropical disease, rare pediatric disease, or material threat medical countermeasure products submitted with a priority review voucher, in addition to standard Prescription Drug User Fee Act fees. The rate is effective October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027, and was calculated based on the difference between average costs of priority and standard drug application reviews in fiscal year 2025, adjusted for cost increases.
• Trump gave cash gifts to executive assistant and staff — Trump gave his executive assistant Natalie Harp and two other young female employees gifts totaling $45,000 in cash last year, approximately one-third of their $150,000 annual salary. He also gave $20,000 to Walt Nauta, his co-defendant in the classified documents case. Richard Painter, chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush, stated the gifts appear to violate federal law prohibiting federal employees from receiving salary supplements from outside sources. Don Fox, acting director of the Office of Government Ethics under Obama, said the legality was unclear because such payments were not previously envisioned by OGE.
• Trump claimed he may not need congressional approval for $5,000 checks — During a backstage Fox News interview at the RNC convention, Trump was asked about the $5,000 dividend proposal. He responded that "there are a lot of people who think I don't even need congressional approval because we've made so much money," suggesting he might implement the policy unilaterally without legislative authorization.
• Trump claimed oil prices would drop after military conflict — Trump told reporters at the RNC convention that oil prices would drop "very rapidly" once the U.S. wins "the military conflict or war," and that he was "pretty sure" this would happen shortly after the election. The bulletin notes he has made similar claims for seven months while oil prices have continued to rise.
• Ron DeSantis criticized Trump's $5,000 check proposal — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis publicly denounced Trump's proposal to deliver $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans hold their ground in the midterm elections. DeSantis warned that the infusion of cash would stir more inflation and expressed concern about borrowing an additional $1.5 trillion and flooding it into the economy.
• Trump claimed $5,000 checks would be funded by growth — During a press availability at the RNC convention in Dallas on September 11, Trump was asked how he would pay for proposed $5,000 checks to Americans. He responded that the checks would be funded by economic growth, and when asked about deficit impact, he said he was not worried about it. Economic data cited in the bulletin indicates GDP growth is weak.

Supporting reports

• Lonnie Bunch III announces retirement as Smithsonian secretary amid Trump pressure campaign — Lonnie Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution since 2019 and the first African American to lead the institution, announced his retirement effective end of year. Bunch cited personal reasons but acknowledged stress from Trump administration attacks on the museum's content and independence, including a March 2025 executive order accusing the Smithsonian of "divisive, race-centered ideology" and attempts to remove the National Portrait Gallery director. Bunch's replacement will be selected by the Smithsonian's 17-member board of regents.

Supporting reports

• Giuliani disparages Muslim NYC mayor and urges him to skip 9/11 memorial ceremony — Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, in a Newsmax interview, disparaged Muslim NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani's religion and stated he should not attend the 25th anniversary 9/11 memorial service on Friday. Giuliani drew inflammatory parallels between Mamdani's faith and the 9/11 hijackers, claiming Mamdani was "hiding" his religion and suggesting Islam should be dominant. Mamdani confirmed he would attend the ceremony to honor victims and first responders, and his office declined to respond to Giuliani's remarks.